Politics
Trump And Republicans Could ‘Steal Marijuana Reform’ From Democrats, Progressive PAC Warns
A progressive political group is recruiting supporters to join a marijuana “advisory board,” warning of the risk that President Donald Trump and other Republicans could “steal” the popular issue away from Democrats.
The Progressive Turnout Project recently sent out an action alert about the shifting political dynamics around cannabis, fundraising around the creation of what it calls a “Marijuana Decriminalization Advisory Board” that supporters can join to reclaim the popular cannabis issue.
“If Democrats don’t act now, Trump and the GOP could steal marijuana reform right out from under us,” the email says. “That’s why it’s more important than for us to hear local Democrats’ honest opinions.”
“Look, anti-marijuana policies wrongfully target Black Americans and have cost the U.S. BILLIONS of dollars,” it says. “Thankfully, House Democrats are working to federally legalize cannabis by sponsoring the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act.”
That’s a reference to legislation that’s passed the House twice in recent sessions and was recently reintroduced for the 119th Congress by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and dozens of Democratic cosponsors.
In addition to removing the drug from the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), the bill also contains a variety of provisions meant to promote equity and address the collateral consequences of prohibition.
“But we have no idea if local Dems support this bill,” the PAC’s email says. “Your response is crucial to Democratic success: the GOP controls the House, and they want this bill CANCELED.”
Of course, Republicans control both the House and Senate, in addition to the White House, so the bill’s prospects of advancing this Congress are unlikely in the first place. It’s notable, however, that the major political committee—which claims to have reached more than 220 million voters since its establishment—is zeroing in on the perception that GOP lawmakers could take marijuana reform away from the Democratic party.
What’s less clear is what role members who join the PAC’s “advisory board” would play in reversing that perceived trend, however. Marijuana Moment reached out to the committee for clarification, but a representative did not respond by the time of publication.
The group’s email links to a fundraising webpage that includes a survey with questions about support for decriminalizing and federally rescheduling cannabis as well as whether the respondent thinks it is “important to elect more Democrats who want to support ALL Americans instead of Republicans who only support their own agenda.”
While cannabis legalization, particularly as it concerns medical marijuana, has become an increasingly bipartisan issue, support for reform still heavily skews Democratic. And a recent Gallup poll indicated that Republican support for legalization has fallen off somewhat in the past year.
As Gallup noted, the overall decrease in support “mainly reflects improved Republican perceptions under Trump and his aggressive actions to limit the entry of drugs into the U.S.”
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“The White House has used the issue as justification for actions in various international dealings since Trump’s inauguration—from tariffs to military strikes to foreign aid—and this seems to be resonating with the president’s base, even though the impact of these actions on drug imports, sales and addiction in the U.S. is unclear so far,” the polling organization said.
How closely linked these issues are is uncertain, especially given the fact that Trump endorsed marijuana rescheduling, industry banking access and a Florida adult-use legalization initiative on the campaign trial. But since taking office, the president has been less clear about his position.
A poll released in June that Marijuana Moment partnered on with the cannabis telehealth platform NuggMD showed that a majority of marijuana consumers disapprove of the Trump administration’s actions on cannabis policy to date, but there’s also a significant willingness among users to shift their position if the federal government opts to reschedule or legalize marijuana.
Earlier this year, meanwhile, a firm associated with Trump—Fabrizio, Lee & Associates—also polled Americans on a series of broader marijuana policy issues. Notably, it found that a majority of Republicans back cannabis rescheduling—and, notably, they’re even more supportive of allowing states to legalize marijuana without federal interference compared to the average voter.
